Chair construction



Aug. 4, 1959 R. L. PANICCI CHAIR CONSTRUCTION Filed July 7, 1958 INVENTOR.

CHAIR CONSTRUCTION Richard L. Panicci, Northampton, Mass., assignor to Hampden Specialty Products, Inc., Easthampton, Mass., a corporation Application July 7, 1958, Serial No. 746,745

2 Claims. (Cl. 155-191) This invention relates to new and useful-improvements in a chair construction, and is directed more particularly t; a chair of the type generally known as a straight back c an.

The principal object of the invention is directed to the provision of a chair having rigid frame components for the seat and back supporting members which are of a somewhat yieldable material such as leather, plastic, fabric, or the like as customarily employed in chair manufacture.

According to novel features of the invention, the yieldable back supporting member of the chair is constructed and arranged to space the upper portion of the back of the occupant of the chair away from, or forwardly of, the upper rigid portion of the chair frame, so as to obviate contact of the occupants upper back portion with the more rigid chair frame.

In chairs where yieldable material has been employed for the back rest, the material tends to sag or belly rearwardly so that the upper back portion of the occupant of the chair bears on the rigid frame of the chair, and he experiences considerable discomfort which of course is objectionable.

In a general way, the yieldable back rest of the chair of this invention is formed so that the marginal portion thereof, more particularly the upper rear portion of the back rest, inclines rearwardly and upwardly from a curving line to the upper rigid part of the chair frame. An occupants back is supported along this line against rearward movement and thereby that portion of the back upwardly of said line is held away from or spaced forwardly of the chair frame for the utmost comfort of the occupant of the chair.

Various changes and modifications may be made in a chair, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which, for purposes of disclosure, is shown in the presently preferred form thereof by the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a chair embodying the novel features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view of the chair shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2, through the rear portion of the chair shown in Fig. 2;

Figs. 4, 5, and 6, are small scale plan views of the seat support, front leg member, and back leg member respectively of the chair shown inFigs. 1 and 2; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevational view through the upper rear member of the chair showing the seaming in a different relation than in Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail, the novel features of the invention will be fully described.

The parts, shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 and to be described, will preferably be formed from tubing, such as is commonly used in chair construction.

A seat support 2, shown in Fig. 4, is circular or ringlike in form, and a seat 4, supported thereby, and made from suitable plastic, leather, composition, fabric or whatired Sttes Patent A Patented Aug. 4, 1959 tubular head 6, having a draw string or cord 8 therein.

The cord draws the marginal portions of the seat inwardly, in the well known manner.

A front leg member 10, shown in Fig. 5, has a horizontal semi-circular rear portion 12 underlying the rear portion of the seat support 2, and a pair of transversely spaced legs 14 which incline downwardly and forwardly, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

A back and rear leg member 16, shown in Fig. 6, is in the form of a U having an uppermost rear transverse portion 18. The side portions of the member provide arm portions 20 which decline downwardly and forwardly from the transverse upper portion 18, and transversely spaced leg portions 22 which depend rearwardly and downwardly.

The leg portions 22 are secured to the seat support 2, and to the member 12 by screws, bolts, or the like indicated by 24, so as to provide a strong rigid chair frame structure.

The back rest of the chair includes a main body portion 26, and a marginal portion 28, which are formed from a somewhat yieldable or pliable material, which may consist of plastic, fabric or whatever may be desired.

The main body portion 26 has a lower edge portion 26' which underlies the semi-circular portion 12 of the front leg member 10, and is secured thereto by the well known snap fastener devices 30, or by other suitable means.

'The upper edges 32 and opposite side edges 34 of the marginal portion 28 of the back rest are secured to the rear and side portions 18 and 20 of member 16, by snap fasteners 36.

The body portion 26 and the marginal portion 28 of the back rest have edge portions that are joined or seamed by stitching, as indicated by 40. The edges are so shaped and the seaming is such that the seam is generally of U shape, and has side portions 40' extending rearwardly from the forward ends of the arms 20 to a curving rear portion 40".

The main body 26 of the back rest is U shape in honizontal cross section, and the rearward portion thereof inclines upwardly and rearwardly to some extent, as indicated in Fig. 3.

The rear curving portion 40" of seaming is disposed below the horizontal plane of the upper rear portion 18 of frame member 16, and forwardly thereof so that the marginal portion 28 inclines upwardly and rearwardly relative to the main body portion 26, and to the upper rear portion 18 of the frame, to which it is secured.

The seaming is formed in such a manner as to act as a U-shaped brace, and will be of a character as to be relatively non-yielding rearwardly whereby the upper portion of the back of the occupant of the chair is spaced forwardly of the upper rear portion 18 of the chair frame.

The seaming or jointure of the components 26 and 28 of the back rest may be accomplished in various ways. The edges of the components may be secured together by stitching or by any desired means, and if desired, reinforcement may be incorporated therein to obviate appreciable rearward yielding of the jointure whereby the back of the occupant of the chair is spaced forwardly from and out of contact with the chair frame.

The components of the back rest are shown as being attached to the chair frame to facilitate removal therefrom, but they may be secured to the frame by any desired means.

The seaming at the back edge of the chair may be related as desired to the upper portion 18 of the chair frame. As shown in Fig. 7, the seaming is more forwardly and at a higher point than in Fig. 3. Obviously the seaming may be arranged to berlocated wheres desired,. and will depend upon the arrangement of the chair frame, the materials from which components 26 and 28 are made, and. other factors.-

Various changes-rand modificationmaygbe made within r the spirit and scope of the-invention and itis-desiredcto be limited, if at all, by the appended claimsratherzthan i bythe foregoing description of the preferred form .of the invention.

I claim:

4" site-side arms-spaced above. oppositesides -ofsaidseat" inclining rearwardly and upwardly to opposite ends of an upper transverse rear back portion spaced above and horizontally outwardly from the rear end portion of said seat, a two-part body support formed from yieldable material having a main body-member and a marginal member, said body member having lower marginal edge portions secured to theopposite "sides-and rear end of the 1. In chair construction-- including, a leg supported horizontal seat having opposite sides and a rear end with:-

opposite arms spaced above: the opposite sides of the seatinclining -rearwardly and upwardl'y'to an upperstrans verse rear back=memberldisposed-rearwardly1outwardly of-the verticaluplane of therear'end of the seat, theimprovement comprising. a body supporting structure of.

relativelyyieldable m'aterial including amain body member and a marginal member, said main body member have ing a'lower marginal-portion secured to opposite sides and rear end of the seat and extending upwardly there: from to an uppermarginal portion, said marginal member having an outer marginal portion secured 'along'said hack'member and arms and extending inwardly-therefrom to an inner marginal portion, said upper and. innermarginal portions of said main body and marginal membersbeing joined by seaming in the shape-ofa U having-a concave rear portion and opposite sideportionsextending therefrom to forward portions of said arms, said-concave rear portion ofsaid seaming being disposed forwardly;

and inwardly of said back member and upwardly relativeto the horizontal plane of said seat whereby the upperback portion of an occupantoffthe chairis-supported-by theJ-concave portion of the'seamingforwardly of-and:

away from said back member;

2. Chair construction comprising in combination;w a1:

frame-including a horizontal seat having.oppositeside and arearend portion and transversely spacedfront and rear legs extendingdownwardly fromsaid -seat and oppo:

seat and extending upwardly; therefrom, said marginal member. havingouter.- marginal-.Eedgerportions:secured to the upper transverse rear back portionaandl. side: arms of the frame, inner edge portions of said marginal member and upper'm'argin'al 'edge'portions ofsaid'body'member being joined together by .seaming ar-ranged in the form of a U having a concave back supporting portion and opposite side portions, said back supporting portion being disposed inwardly of the upper back portion of the frame and upwardly-fr'omth'e plane" of saidfseat *and said'side portions of 'said'seamingextending fronrsaid concave-sup porting portion 'to forwardportions 0f said 'sidearms whereby the upper back portion of an occupant otithb chair a is supported" by the -rear concave portion of the seaming forwardly of-and awayfromtheupperback:

portion of theframe:

RferencesCited in the file of 'this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

